Biology

Charmander is an orange, bipedal, reptilian creature. Charmander has two small fangs visible on its upper and lower jaws and blue eyes. It has a cream-colored underside and an expansive cream marking on the soles of its feet. Its arms and legs are short, and it has four fingers and three clawed toes. A flame burns on the tip of its tail, which is there even at birth. This flame can be used as an indication of Charmander's health and mood. The flame burns brightly when it is strong and weakly when it is weak. When Charmander is happy, the flame will waver; it will blaze if Charmander is enraged. It is said that Charmander dies if its flame goes out.

Charmander can be found in hot, mountainous areas. However, it is found far more often in the ownership of Trainers. As shown in Pokémon Snap, Charmander exhibits pack behavior, and will call others of its species if it finds food.

In the anime

Major appearances

In Charmander - The Stray Pokémon, Ash, Misty, and Brock came across a Charmander which had been abandoned by its Trainer, Damian, who only cared about strong Pokémon. At first, Charmander refused to leave the spot it was at, waiting for Damian to return. However, when a rainstorm picked up, Charmander grew ill and Ash took it to a Pokémon Center. Charmander realized that Damian was no good, and joined up with Ash. It has since evolved into Charmeleon, and then Charizard.

Minor appearances

Charmander was mentioned in the first episode of the anime, Pokémon - I Choose You!, as one of the three starter Pokémon new Trainers in Pallet Town can choose from. Ash dreamed of owning one, although it was his last choice of a starter coming after Squirtle and Bulbasaur. However, when he arrived at Oak's lab, he found out it was too late, as another Trainer who started the same day had already taken it.

In the manga

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

The capture of Ash's Charmander diverges considerably from the anime. In the manga, Damian seems to have abandoned his Charmander at the beginning of the chapter Pikachu's Excellent Adventure, but it turns out that he had just been injured and went to the hospital.

Ash is shown to own a Charmander despite this, his own Charmander first appears in You Gotta Have Friends. Ash's Charmander's capture is not shown in the manga, instead, when Charmander first appears from its Poké Ball, it is simply stated that "Ash has been busy since the last comic".

Green's Charmander has evolved into Charizard. It seems to be able to skip the Charmeleon stage, as it was seen evolving directly into Charizard. Although it has devolved back to the Charmander stage, it currently seems to have permanently evolved back into Charizard.

In the TCG

Other appearances

Trophy Information

"A Lizard Pokémon. It just downright likes hot stuff. The always-burning tail indicates its mood--waving gently when content and burning intensely when angry. If the tail were to go out, it would be the end of Charmander's life. Its tail is believed to emit steam when it rains. Charmander evolves into Charmeleon by leveling up."

Game data

NPC appearances

In PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure Charmander is one of Pikachu's best friends. After falling through the mysterious tunnel, he almost lands into a pool of molten lava only to be saved by the zone leader, Blaziken. He was then taken in as Blaziken's pupil and trained to become stronger. After he's been found, he journeys to the Meeting Place where he helps Piplup mend the balloon, and makes fireworks. He later accompanies Pikachu to the Sky Pavilion along with Piplup and Chikorita where he meets Mew. Once the Sky Prism has been restored, Charmander celebrates by firing off the fireworks he made.

Origin

Charmander is predominantly reptilian in origin, and may have been partially inspired by the mythical salamander (as opposed to the real-world amphibian of the same name which inspired its mythical counterpart). This salamander was a fire-spirit capable of surviving in extreme heat or flames, and it is sometimes creatively rendered or interpreted to be in the shape of a lizard.

Physically, Charmander has a slender body, a short nose, and a long tail, as well as other similar lizard-like characteristics. The fact that it does not undergo a metamorphosis stage (beyond its own evolutionary pattern) but instead grows into a larger version of itself as it matures, among other things, indicate that Charmander has more in common with reptiles (like lizards) than with amphibians (like real-world salamanders).

Charmander's Hidden Ability, Solar Power, may have drawn inspiration from the spotted salamander. In July and August 2010, this species was identified as the first known photosynthetic vertebrate animal, capable of converting energy from sunlight.

Name origin

Charmander is a portmanteau of the words char (to burn) and salamander.